STEEL I-BEAM ASSY QUESTION

[Anonymous]

In doing assemblys, I want to place say some steel channel or I-beam. Is
there a way to make a part that is a sketch or something that you can insert
and extruded to a length, having the bill show a quantity of feet. I have
tried doing one that is extruded 1' or 1" and editing the extrusion in the
assembly, but it treats it as one part and as i change the size, because
they are all the same part all the parts change to that size. Seem to me
like i would have to actually do a sketch for every piece of steel being
used so they are all individual pieces.
Is there a better way?

[Anonymous]

What I have done is create templates for each different type of steel shape
that I use (W, S, C, L, etc.). Each template has an embedded spreadsheet
containing all of the dimensional info for each different size in which that
shape is available. When I place a steel member in my assembly, I click on
"Create Component", give the new part a name, and select the appropriate
template. The part is placed in the drawing using the default size
specified in the table. I simply go into the table and select the size I
want from a drop-down list and edit the extrusion length. If I want several
columns that are all the same part, I just copy the first instance of the
part. If I want a new part, I create it from a template. Then, you can
change on part without effecting the others.

I believe this method has several advantages when compared to the built-in
library shapes or iParts:

1. Creating the steel members from templates allows them to be adaptive if
needed. iParts cannot be adaptive.
2. Some of the cross-sections in the library parts are not even
dimensionally correct (I-beams/S and channels/C).
3. If you use the library parts to create a steel part and later decide you
want to change the size of that part, you cannot simply select a different
size from a list. Using templates, you just select the new size and all of
your constraints are maintained.

I went as far as to program a macro into my templates that would read the
extrusion (cut length) of each steel member, convert the length to feet and
inches (metric would be much easier), and place the resulting value in a
custom parameter that I use in my BOMs. However, more recently, I have read
on the IV customization board (see Sean Dotson), that having auto-macros in
a lot of parts in a large assembly is not a good idea. (Apparently this a
Microsoft/VBA issue, not a specific Inventor issue.) A workaround was
offered by an Autodesk employee but was later retracted pending IV8.

I hope this helps.

Blane

[Anonymous]

I have never made a template or macros for that matter, but thanks for all
the info. Im sure this will lead me in the right direction to learn more
about doing what i have to do.
Thanks a lot
"BTBeilke" wrote in message
news:429E3C586219484E45E9863B406B6F11@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> What I have done is create templates for each different type of steel
shape
> that I use (W, S, C, L, etc.). Each template has an embedded spreadsheet
> containing all of the dimensional info for each different size in which
that
> shape is available. When I place a steel member in my assembly, I click
on
> "Create Component", give the new part a name, and select the appropriate
> template. The part is placed in the drawing using the default size
> specified in the table. I simply go into the table and select the size I
> want from a drop-down list and edit the extrusion length. If I want
several
> columns that are all the same part, I just copy the first instance of the
> part. If I want a new part, I create it from a template. Then, you can
> change on part without effecting the others.
>
> I believe this method has several advantages when compared to the built-in
> library shapes or iParts:
>
> 1. Creating the steel members from templates allows them to be adaptive
if
> needed. iParts cannot be adaptive.
> 2. Some of the cross-sections in the library parts are not even
> dimensionally correct (I-beams/S and channels/C).
> 3. If you use the library parts to create a steel part and later decide
you
> want to change the size of that part, you cannot simply select a different
> size from a list. Using templates, you just select the new size and all
of
> your constraints are maintained.
>
> I went as far as to program a macro into my templates that would read the
> extrusion (cut length) of each steel member, convert the length to feet
and
> inches (metric would be much easier), and place the resulting value in a
> custom parameter that I use in my BOMs. However, more recently, I have
read
> on the IV customization board (see Sean Dotson), that having auto-macros
in
> a lot of parts in a large assembly is not a good idea. (Apparently this a
> Microsoft/VBA issue, not a specific Inventor issue.) A workaround was
> offered by an Autodesk employee but was later retracted pending IV8.
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Blane
>
>

[Anonymous]

How do you imbed a spreadsheet into a part without making the part an ipart?
I should ask how do you get the spreadsheet to work becaust I can imbed the
sprreadsheet but it
doesn't work

dolphingr@comcast.net

"BTBeilke" wrote in message
news:429E3C586219484E45E9863B406B6F11@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> What I have done is create templates for each different type of steel
shape
> that I use (W, S, C, L, etc.). Each template has an embedded spreadsheet
> containing all of the dimensional info for each different size in which
that
> shape is available. When I place a steel member in my assembly, I click
on
> "Create Component", give the new part a name, and select the appropriate
> template. The part is placed in the drawing using the default size
> specified in the table. I simply go into the table and select the size I
> want from a drop-down list and edit the extrusion length. If I want
several
> columns that are all the same part, I just copy the first instance of the
> part. If I want a new part, I create it from a template. Then, you can
> change on part without effecting the others.
>
> I believe this method has several advantages when compared to the built-in
> library shapes or iParts:
>
> 1. Creating the steel members from templates allows them to be adaptive
if
> needed. iParts cannot be adaptive.
> 2. Some of the cross-sections in the library parts are not even
> dimensionally correct (I-beams/S and channels/C).
> 3. If you use the library parts to create a steel part and later decide
you
> want to change the size of that part, you cannot simply select a different
> size from a list. Using templates, you just select the new size and all
of
> your constraints are maintained.
>
> I went as far as to program a macro into my templates that would read the
> extrusion (cut length) of each steel member, convert the length to feet
and
> inches (metric would be much easier), and place the resulting value in a
> custom parameter that I use in my BOMs. However, more recently, I have
read
> on the IV customization board (see Sean Dotson), that having auto-macros
in
> a lot of parts in a large assembly is not a good idea. (Apparently this a
> Microsoft/VBA issue, not a specific Inventor issue.) A workaround was
> offered by an Autodesk employee but was later retracted pending IV8.
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Blane
>
>

[Anonymous]

Check out
http://www.sdotson.com/freetut/linked%20&%20embedded%20parameters%20part%20one.zip. It should help you understand.

Kathy Johnson